2. A long time ago in a place far, far away…
There was a man named Homer…

3. (D’oh! Kidding! This is Homer…)

4. …and his epic called the Odyssey

5. An Introduction to Homer’s Odyssey

6. Homer:
The Man of Mystery

7. Who was HOMER?
Homer was a blind minstrel (he told stories to entertain and to make his living); audiences had to listen carefully (this is “oral tradition” so there was a lot of repetition and improvisation used)

8. Why do we read The Odyssey?
The Odyssey is part of our cultural capital as Westerners
Birthplace of Western civilization:
Greece-Rome-Europe-Americas
The Epic of the Long Journey
The base of all great adventure stories.
Follows the Hero’s Journey pattern!
AND because it's part of our cultural capital as Westerners.

9. GREEK VALUES These values help explain characters’ motivations
Important to understand some of the main Greek values of the time because….
These values help explain characters’ motivations

10. (explains characters’ motivations)
Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Reciprocity: You give to me, I give to you.
Hospitality: Treat ALL guests with respect.
Religion: Gods control all fate. Must be respected.

11. (explains characters’ motivations)
Greek Values
(explains characters’ motivations)
Hospitality:
Treat all guests with respect
Be nice first, ask questions later
A stranger could be a GOD in disguise!
Be our guest,
be our guest,
put our service
to the test. . .

12. Epics and Heroes What is Hubris?
Hubris is extreme arrogance or self-pride. Often in Greek tragedies, hubris would be the fatal flaw of the main character, often resulting in his/her downfall. In Mythology, humans sometimes demonstrated hubris, which angered the gods.

13. MYTH AND EPIC
“Myth” is a story that uses fantasy to express ideas about life not easily done in realistic terms (it also stresses the relationship of human beings to a higher, spiritual realm)

14. The Epic

15. Characteristics of the Epic:
Long, narrative poem
Reflects values of a nation or race
Addresses universal concerns
Focuses on the adventures of a historical or legendary hero

16. 5. The supernatural plays an important role
6. Story is set in many locations
7. Hero against the odds – strong and courageous
8. Story is simple and written in formal language

17. EPICS Things you will discover once you have read an Epic:
Classical Allusions: references to mythology
Example: She had the face that launched a thousand ships—Refers to Helen of Troy from The Illiad.
You will find these allusions in other literature, movies, everyday conversations, and even in modern day advertising.
Example: Percy Jackson series, Honda Odyssey van, Venus razors, Good Year tires with Hermes wings, etc.

18. EPICS Things you will discover once you have read an Epic:
The Hero’s Journey Pattern:
Most epic heroes go on some sort of quest.
In “The Odyssey,” the main character travels for many years, encounters numerous obstacles along the way, and makes many mistakes.
Monitor the main character as we read to see how he learns from these mistakes.

19. Conventions of the Epic

20. A brief descriptive phrase
Epithet
A brief descriptive phrase
Characterizes a person, place or thing
Gives story-teller a “breather”
Helps with rhyming or meter
Examples:
rosy-fingered dawn
gray-eyed Athena
The blue-maned god who makes the islands tremble
Son of Laertes and gods of old, master mariner and soldier

21. Compares epic events to everyday events
Homeric Simile
Compares epic events to everyday events
“…in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor.”

22. In Medias Res in the middle
In Medias Res: literary technique in which the plot sequence is out of order; Latin for “in the middle,” the story begins in the middle of the action, flashes back to the beginning to catch up, then skips to the end
Example: Forrest Gump
Odysseus' Timeline

23. (composed between 900 & 700 BC!)
Homer’s Epics
(composed between 900 & 700 BC!)
First there was…
The Iliad

24. The Iliad Primary model for the Epic of War
Set in 10th and final year of the Trojan War

25. After The Iliad (Aneid by Virgil)
Odysseus’ wooden horse trick
Greeks defeat the Trojans
Odysseus heads for home

26. The Odyssey
Tales of Odysseus

27. The Travels of Odysseus

28. The Odyssey
Primary model for the epic of the long journey home

29. THE ODYSSEY
Meaning: a long journey with many adventures or a spiritual or intellectual quest
The word “odyssey” derives from the name Odysseus, the main character from the Odyssey (he is also referred to as Ulysses in classic literature)

30. The Odyssey Involves 3 Sets of Characters:
The Greek GODS
Humans
Supernatural monsters and creatures